Burst Pipe Water Damage in Marietta: Stop It, Then Dry It

What do I do first when a pipe bursts?

Close the main water shutoff, then open the lowest faucet in the house to drain the lines. Turn off power to any wet area if you can do it without standing in water. Then photograph the damage and start drying.

Most homes around Marietta have a main valve where the water line comes into the house, often in the crawl space, basement, garage or a utility closet, plus a curb valve at the meter. Turn the inside valve clockwise until it stops. If it is stuck or broken and water is gushing, call your water utility: Marietta Power & Water for homes inside city limits, the Cobb County Water System for most of unincorporated Cobb, Kennesaw, Acworth and Powder Springs. Their numbers are on our Marietta water damage guide.

Once the water stops, the clock starts on drying. The EPA says to dry wet materials within 24 to 48 hours to prevent mold.

Where do pipes freeze in Marietta houses?

In the places winter air reaches: crawl spaces, unheated garages, attics, exterior walls behind sinks, and outdoor spigots. In homes built over a vented crawl space, the supply lines under the floor are the classic freeze spot.

Hard freezes are not common here, so many pipes are not protected for one. That is why a single cold snap can do so much damage. Near Christmas 2022, a hard freeze burst thousands of pipes in metro Atlanta, and State Farm reported Georgia ranked No. 1 in the nation for its paid frozen pipe claims from August 2022 to August 2023, roughly $100 million.

A frozen pipe often does not leak until it thaws. If you had no water during the cold and then hear running water or see a ceiling stain when it warms up, shut the main and look in the crawl space and attic.

How much damage can one burst pipe do?

A lot, quickly. A supply line is under constant pressure, so a split pipe keeps flowing until someone closes a valve. Water runs into wall cavities, under flooring and down through ceilings, well past what you can see.

Supply-line water starts out as Category 1 (clean) under the IICRC S500 standard, which is good news: more materials can usually be dried in place than with dirty water. But clean water that sits, soaks through dirty materials or starts growing microbes gets treated as a worse category. The sooner extraction and drying start, the more you keep.

• Carpet and pad hold a lot of water. Pad usually comes out; carpet can sometimes be dried.
• Hardwood swells and cups. Early drying gives it the best chance.
• Drywall that wicked water up may be cut out above the wet line so the wall cavity can dry.
• Insulation in a wet wall or ceiling usually comes out; it holds water and dries slowly.

What does the restoration company do for a burst pipe?

They find every wet area with moisture meters, extract standing water, remove what cannot be dried, and set air movers and dehumidifiers until readings return to normal. The pipe itself is fixed by a plumber.

Some restoration companies have plumbers on staff or partners they call; others will ask you to get the pipe repaired. Either way, the repair and the drying are two separate jobs and may be on separate invoices. In the City of Marietta, plumbing work needs a permit pulled by the licensed professional, not the homeowner. For the full process, costs and insurance basics, see our guide to water damage restoration in Marietta.

How do I keep pipes from bursting next winter?

Insulate exposed pipes in the crawl space and attic, close crawl space vents during hard freezes if your home has them, disconnect garden hoses, and on the coldest nights let a faucet drip and open sink cabinets.

The American Red Cross recommends letting cold water drip from faucets during freezing weather, opening kitchen and bathroom cabinet doors so warm air reaches the pipes, keeping the thermostat at the same temperature day and night, and never setting it below 55 degrees if you leave town. Our frozen pipe checklist for Marietta walks through it room by room.

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